The invention relates to communications in general. More particularly, the invention relates to a method and apparatus for verifying a dialed number in a communications system.
Innovations in communications technologies have made a wide range of enhanced communications services available to a user. For example, a person can dial a telephone number at the press of a key (i.e., speed-dialing), retrieve a telephone number for a missed call, view a telephone number of an incoming call on a display (i.e., caller identification or xe2x80x9ccaller IDxe2x80x9d), and send or retrieve a voice message. A communications provider often provides these services through a network such as an intelligent services network (ISN) that is privately owned but that works in conjunction with the public switched telephone network (PSTN). These services can also be offered by a dedicated device located at the customer premise, such as a telephone with advanced electronics or a telephone answering machine (collectively referred to as Customer Premise Equipment or xe2x80x9cCPExe2x80x9d).
Voice messaging in particular is an enhanced communications service that has become increasingly popular. In fact, voice mail and telephone answering machines have created a new paradigm in communications. Where once a caller was relegated to listening to unanswered rings on a telephone, when a messaging system is available the caller can now leave a message for the called party with pertinent information. In cases where time is a factor, it is sometimes more convenient to actually leave a voice message than to speak directly with a called party. In operation, a voice messaging service or answering machine typically picks up the call, plays a greeting message, and guides the calling party through the message creation process.
One problem associated with communications networks in general, and voice messaging services in particular, is that there is no way for a calling party to actively request verification of a dialed number. After a calling party dials a number the calling party may become worried that they have dialed the wrong number. Since there is no way to request verification of the dialed number, the calling party must either wait for the call to be completed and attempt to ascertain the telephone number associated with the called party, or simply hang up and re-dial the number. Both alternatives are tedious and time consuming. With respect to the latter alternative, the calling party must pay for a completed call to make this determination without any assurance that the dialed number will be verified.
This is particularly problematic with voice messaging services. When a voice messaging service answers the call, many callers suddenly become concerned that they dialed the wrong number and are therefore afraid to leave a message. Unless the greeting message actually contains the dialed telephone number, which is relatively rare, the caller has no idea as to whether they have called the correct number. For example, callers who hear only xe2x80x9cplease leave a messagexe2x80x9d are often left doubting whether they dialed the correct number. Even if the dialed number is included as part of the greeting message, it is often embedded somewhere within the greeting message. This may require the caller to wait for the entire greeting message to be played before finding out that the wrong number was dialed, if ever. Furthermore, CPE devices are often of poor quality so the recorded message can be difficult to understand.
There are a number of devices that display or audibly recite a number for the call participants, such as caller ID devices or telephones with visual displays that display the numbers entered into the telephone. These devices, however, are less than satisfactory for a number of reasons. For example, caller ID is a CPE device for displaying a telephone number of the calling party for the called party. This function does not solve the problem of displaying the dialed number for the calling party, but rather operates in reverse by serving the called party. With respect to telephones with visual displays, such telephones are relatively expensive and therefore not available in a large number of households or offices.
In view of the foregoing, it can be appreciated that a substantial need exists for a messaging system which solves the above-discussed problem.
One embodiment of the invention includes a method and apparatus to verify a dialed number. A request is received from a calling party to send a first call station a number sent from the first call station and associated with a second call station. The number is sent in accordance with the request.
Another embodiment of the invention includes a method and apparatus to deliver a dialed number to a calling party over a network. A first call station is connected to a messaging platform to create a message for a second call station. A determination is made as to whether to send the first call station a number associated with the second call station. The number is sent to the first call station in accordance with the determination.
With these and other advantages and features of the invention that will become hereinafter apparent, the nature of the invention may be more clearly understood by reference to the following detailed description of the invention, the appended claims and to the several drawings attached herein.